


Melted Chocolate & Crushed Eggs

by moondragon23



Series: The Best Things [5]
Category: Psych
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Easter, Established Relationship, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-05-31 16:15:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15123173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moondragon23/pseuds/moondragon23
Summary: Shawn's mother is in town for Easter. Having finally ended up in a stable relationship, Shawn plans to surprise her with his new boyfriend at dinner. However, a tragic accident changes those plans.





	1. Change of plans

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a long time since I last posted anything. My Psych muse seems to have left me and most of my writing now is for an original novel I'm working on. But I was reading a fanfic for Fairy Tail recently and remembered I had this sitting on my computer. It was originally supposed to be part of a longer story later on in this series but I realized I had enough written to post for the Easter story with a few adjustments.  
> The entire thing is already written, I'm just finishing the editing. I'll have the next part up in a couple of days. This hasn't been beta read so all mistakes are mine. Feel free to point them out.

Easter started out good. Shawn and Carlton spent a lazy morning in bed, having their own version of an Easter ‘egg’ hunt. After that they ate breakfast that for Shawn mostly consisted of chocolate and for Carlton an excessive amount of bacon. Carlton had to check on something at the station with Jules, so Shawn and Gus had spent the afternoon watching movies and eating yet more chocolate. Now Shawn was waiting for Carlton in front of the restaurant where they were going to have dinner with Shawn’s parents.

Shawn checked his phone. No new texts and no missed calls. “Dammit Lassie, where are you?” he muttered. Carlton had promised to be on time for dinner. His boyfriend knew how important this was for him. His mom was only rarely in town and Shawn had wanted to surprise her with his new boyfriend. He hadn’t told her who Carlton was yet, just that he had met someone he wanted her to meet. His dad had agreed to keep the secret, in exchange for help with the yard work next weekend. It would be worth it to introduce his mom to his new, successful, long term boyfriend.

Of course, to do that said boyfriend would have to actually be here.

He checked his phone again, then sighed and shoved it into his pocket. His boyfriend was half an hour late. He had kept his parents waiting long enough. Hoping Carlton showed up soon, he entered the restaurant.

It was busy with the holiday but he still spotted his parents easily. This restaurant generally catered to a younger crowd, making his parents stick out. He wound his way through the tables, coming up on his father from behind. When his mom spotted him, he smiled and put a finger to his lips. Her lips twitched as she fought her own smile but Henry was too engrossed telling his story to notice.

“It turned out she was overdosing the residents with high blood pressure by slipping extra medication into their food. Shawn never would have cracked that case without me,” Henry said smugly.

Shawn clapped a hand on Henry's shoulder, causing him to jump. “That's right, G-pop,” Shawn said in a condescending tone. “Did you also tell her about the people who sneak into your room at night and move things while you sleep?” He shook his head and looked at his mom. “Senile,” he whispered loudly.

Henry glared at him, shrugging Shawn’s hand off his shoulder. “It's about time you got here, Shawn. We've been waiting for half an hour.” He looked around as Shawn walked around the table to his mom. “Where's your boyfriend?”

“Running late,” Shawn said, a touch of irritation in his voice. He bent down and kissed his mom on the cheek. “Hey Mom.”

“Hello, Goose,” his mom said. He made a face at the nickname. He hoped Carlton didn't tease him too much about it. He hadn't been _t_ _hat_ bad about the whole 'Booker' thing, after all. “Is everything okay?”

“He's probably just stuck at work,” Shawn said with a sigh. “It happens all the time.”

“What does he do?” Mom asked. “You've barely told me anything about him.”

Shawn glanced at Henry. His father shrugged, clearly telling him this was his problem. “He works for the police department,” Shawn said cautiously.

“He's a cop?” Mom asked in surprised.

“Yeah,” Shawn said, hoping Carlton would forgive the little lie. He was very proud of his position as Head Detective but telling his mom that now would give things away too soon. “I met him while I was consulting on a case.”

“Do his coworkers know, or his he making you keep it a secret?” Mom asked, a hint of censure creeping into her tone.

“They know,” Shawn assured her. “Though it hasn't always been easy.”

His mom smiled. “Well, I'm proud of you. I honestly wasn't sure if you would ever settle down with someone.”

Shawn rolled his eyes. “Gee, thanks Mom.”

Mom smacked his shoulder. “I mean it. He must be a great guy to bring about such a change in you.”

Shawn smiled. “He is.”

“When he's not late,” Henry grumbled. “The man should know how to be on time.”

“I remember a certain detective being late plenty of times because of work,” Mom said, raising an eyebrow. “It wouldn't hurt to wait a little longer.”

Shawn hid a grin at his father's abashed look. _Score one for mom._

“I guess we can wait,” Henry said. “But he's helping pay for dinner.”

Shawn shook his head. Carlton probably would have insisted on it anyway, but if it made his dad happy he wasn't going to argue.

Shawn's cell phone started ringing. “Finally,” he muttered, pulling it out. He paused when he saw who was calling. “That's weird.”

“Who is it?” Mom asked.

“It's the Chief,” Shawn said, answering the phone. “Hey Chief. What's up?”

“Shawn.” Vick's unusually somber tone and the use of his first name immediately warned Shawn something was wrong. “There's been an accident.”

Shawn took a deep breath. “Who?”

“Detectives O'Hara and Lassiter. Their car was hit about an hour ago.”

“Are they okay?” he asked anxiously. He vaguely noticed his parents had stopped talking, looking concerned as they listened to his end of the conversation.

“O'Hara sustained some minor injuries but the doctors think she'll be fine.”

She hadn't mentioned Lassiter. That couldn't be good. _Please, God, don't let him be dead._ “What about Carlton?” His father looked at him sharply. Shawn met his gaze, unable to hide the fear he was feeling.

Vick sighed. “The car was struck on the driver's side.”  _And Carlton always drives_ Shawn added silently. “As a result, his injuries were much more severe.  Last I heard they were prepping him for surgery. ” Vick's tone softened. “ They asked me to get his family to the hospital as soon as I can.  I'm sorry Shawn.”

Shawn closed his eyes. He took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to hold himself together.  Surgery. Carlton was hurt bad enough he needed surgery. But he wasn’t dead, so the doctors thought they could fix him. But the doctors also wanted his family at the hospital quickly, so they weren’t  _sure_ they could fix him.

He could lose Carlton.

“Shawn. . . Shawn.” He released he had dropped the hand holding his phone and quickly brought it back to his ear. “Y-yeah?”

“ Are you able to get to the hospital?” Vick asked gently.

“Yes,” Shawn said hoarsely. He cleared his throat. “My dad's here. He can drive me.”

“I have to handle a few things here before I can make it myself.” Vick's voice became hesitant. “Can you let me know if anything changes in the meantime?”

“Sure thing, Chief,” Shawn said.

“Carlton's a fighter, Shawn. Don't give up on him.”

Shawn nodded, even though she couldn't see him. “I don't intend to.”

He hung up the phone, clutching it tightly in his hands. He stared blankly down at the tablecloth,  thinking about the last time he had seen Carlton. Had he told him he loved him? He couldn't remember.  He had reminded Carlton when dinner was and not to be late. Carlton had promised to be on time and given him a kiss. Had he said anything else as Carlton walked out the door?

Shawn Spencer, who didn't forget anything, couldn't remember if he had told his boyfriend he loved him  during the possibl y last time he would see him alive.

“Shawn?”

He looked up at his dad's worried face. “Lassie and Jules were in a car accident,” he said quietly.

“Are your friends okay?” Mom asked.

“Jules  will be fine .” He took a deep breath and looked back at his father. “Carlton is in surgery. The doctors, they. . . they said. . . ” He swallowed hard. “It's bad,  D ad.”

Henry stood up. “I'll drive you.”

Shawn slowly rose from the table, immensely grateful his father was there.  They didn't always get along but when times were bad  Shawn could always count on him to be there.

“What about your boyfriend?” Mom asked. “Should we call him? I’m sure he would want to be there for you.”

Shawn felt his throat tighten. He had forgotten his mother didn't know. He glanced at his father, unsure if he could get the words out.

“Maddie,” Henry said carefully. “There's something you need to know.”

“ What is it?” she asked, looking between Henry and Shawn.

“Carlton's my boyfriend,” Shawn said abruptly. He looked at her, tears threatening to obscure his vision.

“Oh Goose.” She wrapped him up in a hug. “I'm so sorry,” she said softly.

He held her tightly, a few tears slipping through before he  got himself back under control. “Thanks  M om.”  After a moment he pulled away, ducking his head while wiped his eyes. “We should go.”

Henry wrapped an arm around Shawn's shoulders. Leaning into the unexpected fatherly support, he let his dad lead him out of the restaurant.


	2. Waiting

Juliet stared blankly at the wall in her hospital room. She had already been for X-rays and had the gash on her head stitched up. She had been left on her own while she waited for the doctor to come back to tell her how bad the break in her leg was.

She hadn’t heard anything about Carlton.

She had arrived at the hospital first. She had been put in a curtained off area and had her cuts looked at until someone brought her to get X-rays. Then she had been put in this room and told to wait for the doctor. When she asked, all anyone could tell her was that Carlton had arrived about 20 minutes after her and the doctors were still working on him.

The room was empty besides her and the only noise was staff walking past in the hallway and the occasionally page over the intercom. There wasn’t much in the room to look at and the walls were the usual bland white.

There was nothing to distract her from the memory of the accident.

 

_A horn was blaring._

_Loudly._

_Juliet blinked, trying to clear her head. Something was dripping down the side of her face and into her right eye. She reached up, hissing in pain when she touched her head. Looking at her fingers, it took a moment to realize they were covered in blood._

_The horn cut off, leaving a ringing silence behind._

_“Carlton?” She wiped the blood away from her eye and wondered if she had anything to put pressure on the cut. “Carlton?” she called again, realizing she hadn't heard anything from her partner since the accident happened. She turned carefully in the seat to look at him and froze._

_The driver's side of the car had collapsed inward, wrapping around the left half of Carlton's body. He was pinned back against the seat, eyes closed, with blood flowing down the side of his face. There was more blood oozing from cuts littering the exposed areas of his body. Most terrifyingly, a shard of metal had gone straight through his right side and he was bleeding heavily from the site._

_“Oh my God! Carlton!” She twisted in her seat in an attempt to reach him and screamed when white hot pain shot up her left leg. She gritted her teeth, breathing hard as she waited for the pain to subside. Her leg was caught under the dashboard and was obviously broken. But she needed to reach her partner._

_She turned in the seat as much as she could, whimpering at the pain in her leg as it was jostled. She carefully reached over and placed two fingers against the side of Carlton's neck. “Thank God!” He had a pulse, though it was faint and rapid. He needed help right away._

_She grabbed the radio, but only static came through. “Damn it!” It must have been damaged in the crash. She fumbled in her pocket for her cell phone, her shaking hands not making the task easy. She finally got it out when a low groan brought her attention back to her partner._

_Carlton grimaced in pain, eyes still closed. He tried to move and she quickly placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Don't move, Carlton.”_

_His eyes opened slowly. They were glazed over with pain and he had trouble focusing on her. “O'Hara?” he asked hoarsely._

_“I'm right here,” she said softly._

_He coughed, then let out a low moan and closed his eyes. “Hurts,” he whimpered._

_“I know, partner. Just hang on.” Keeping one hand on Carlton, she used the other to dial her phone._

_“911, what's your emergency?”_

_She took a deep breath, forcing her brain into cop mode. “This is Detective Juliet O'Hara. My partner and I were involved in a motor vehicle accident with an SUV on Carson Street. We need an ambulance right away.” She kept her voice as calm as possible, but couldn't hide the urgency in her tone._

_“Detective, have you or your partner been injured?”_

_“Yes.” She looked over at Carlton. He was looking at her vacantly, his breathing shallow and rapid. His skin was pale and his lips had a faint blue tinge. “The car is crushed around my partner. I can't tell exactly how badly he is hurt. There is a cut on his head along with numerous other small wounds.” She swallowed hard. “A piece of metal went through his right side and he is bleeding heavily. He is semi-conscious and responsive and I think he's having trouble breathing.”_

_“OK, detective. What about yourself?”_

_“Broken leg, and, um. . .” She took a moment to check herself over; she had been so focused on Carlton she hadn't thought about her own injuries. “I hit my head and I think I blacked out for a few seconds.” Her partner was trying to move again. She gently pushed on his shoulder to keep him from moving. “Carlton, you need to stay still.”_

_“Carlton Lassiter?”_

_“Yeah,” she said distractedly, too focused on her partner. He had stopped moving, but was staring at her with more awareness than before. He reached out towards her with his right hand and she slid her hand down to grab it. “It will be okay, Carlton. Help is coming.”_

_“Are you okay?” he panted. His breathing was becoming more labored but his concern seemed to be keeping him conscious._

_“I'm okay. You just need to worry about yourself right now,” she said._

_He nodded slowly, closing his eyes. She worried that he was going to pass out but he still had a tight grip on her hand._

_“Detective? Juliet, are you there?”_

_She put the phone back up to her ear. “Yeah, I'm still here.”_

_“Help is on the way, but I need to ask you a couple more questions. Can you tell anything at all about the other vehicle?”_

_Juliet leaned forward carefully and peered through the cracked windshield. She could just make out a figure in the driver's seat of the SUV. Whoever it was seemed to be moving. “I can see the driver and they look to be conscious. I don't know if anyone else is in the vehicle.”_

_“All right.” Juliet could hear paper rustling in the background and the low murmur of other voices. “I notified the police department and rescue crews are on the way. The ambulance should almost be there by now. You just need to hang in there a little bit longer.”_

_“I can do that,” Juliet said quietly._

_“Lassiter's a stubborn man, Juliet. He'll make it.”_

_Juliet was surprised by the dispatcher's comment, though she shouldn't have been; her partner had been on the force a long time. “I hope so.” She hung up the phone, resting her head back against the seat for a moment._

_“O'Hara.” She turned her head to look at Carlton. He was looking at her, his gaze full of pain and purpose. “Need to tell you something.” He coughed, crying out as the motion shifted his battered body._

_“Don't try to talk; you can tell me later,” she said, not wanting to see her partner cause himself any more pain._

_He stubbornly shook his head. “Have to now.” He paused, the difficulty he was having breathing very evident now. “Might not be a later.”_

_Her heart clenched in her chest. “Don't talk like that; you'll be fine.”_

_“Might not,” he said sadly._

_She swallowed hard. “What is it?”_

_“Tell. . . tell Shawn.” He stopped, eyes closing as he panted. Once he caught his breath he looked at her again. “Tell him I love him.”_

_Juliet could feel her eyes tearing up. “You can tell him yourself when we get out of here.”_

_“Please Juliet.”_

_She closed her eyes, feeling the hot tears starting to flow. “Okay, I will.”_

_“Thanks.”_

_His grip on her hand loosened. She opened her eyes to see his own had closed. “Carlton?” He didn't respond. Panicked, she reached out to check his pulse again. It was still there, but fainter than before and irregular._

_“Don't leave me Carlton,” she said softly. She could hear sirens approaching in the distance and hoped they would be in time to save her partner. “Please don't go.”_

 

She was pulled from her thoughts as the door to her room burst open. “Juliet!” Gus cried as he rushed to her bed. “Are you okay? Of course you’re not; you’re in the hospital. Have they already done X-rays?” His fingers brushed the edge of the bandage on her head. “What about a CT? You could have a concussion.”

Juliet grabbed his hand and squeezed. “I’m okay. No concussion. I already had X-rays of my leg and I’m waiting for the doctor to come back with the results.”

“Yeah okay.” Gus looked at her leg, then glanced over her body, pausing at each cut or bruise that was visible. “I’ll have some questions for him.”

“Gus,” she said softly, pulling his attention from a large bruise on her arm. “Where’s Shawn?”

“He’s trying to find out about Lassiter,” Gus said quietly. He looked down at their clasped hands, rubbing his thumb against her palm. “He insisted I come check on you.”

Juliet’s breath caught in her throat at the thought of her partner. He had looked so pale when he passed out. “The doctors haven’t been able to tell me anything.”

“He’s tough,” Gus said, lifting his head to meet Juliet’s eyes. “He’ll make it.”

“We all hope so.”

They both turned to look at the doctor standing in the doorway. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Nurse Monroe told me you were asking about your partner so I checked on his status before coming here.”

“How is he?” Juliet squeezed Gus’ hand tightly, almost afraid of the answer.

“He’s in surgery right now.” He closed the door and walked closer to the bed. “He had internal bleeding and a collapsed lung as well as several broken bones. We won’t really know any more for certain for another few hours.”

Juliet choked and her eyes welled up. There was always the risk of injury with their jobs and they had both been in the hospital before but never this serious. They hadn’t even been working. Carlton had offered to drop her off at Gus’ place before going to meet Shawn and his parents for dinner. It wasn’t fair. She felt arms wrap around her as tears began to fall.

“You need to focus on yourself right now,” the doctor said gently. “The leg was a clean break and we’ll be able to cast it once the swelling goes down. However, I’d like to keep you overnight for observation to make sure there is nothing else wrong. Shock can hide some injuries.”

Juliet nodded. “I’m not leaving until I know Carlton will be all right.”

“Can I stay with her?” Gus asked.

“Of course. The nurse will be in shortly with some pain meds.” The doctor smiled sadly. “Try to rest. I’ll make sure you are notified once we know more about your partner.”

“Thank you,” Juliet whispered. She looked at Gus after the doctor left. “Are you sure you can stay? What about Shawn?”

“His parents came with him and I’m sure by now half the department is in the waiting room.” Gus sat on the bed next to her, his arms still wrapped around her. “You need me more.”

A sob broke free despite Juliet’s best effort. Gus tucked her head against his neck and she let herself cry, praying Carlton would be all right.

* * *

Shawn hated waiting. He was pacing again, despite the disapproving glares from his dad. But he couldn’t sit still. He had tried that. He had tried reading (he ended up reorganizing all the magazines in the waiting room by attractiveness of the people on the cover). He had tried eating something at his mother’s insistence (he had ended up nauseous and throwing up in the bathroom). He had even tried the coffee Buzz brought him (it had tasted horribly and left him jittery; it had also sent him to the bathroom again though this time only to pee). He couldn’t stand sitting still another minute and since he couldn’t leave he was stuck with pacing.

The waiting room was filled with cops. Most had already known about his and Carlton’s relationship and the ones who didn’t were quickly filled in by the others. He avoided looking at any of them, hating the sympathy and pity on their faces as they all waited for news. Carlton would make it. He had to.

Finally, after several hours of waiting, a doctor entered the room. “Family of Carlton Lassiter?” He looked surprised when nearly the entire waiting room stood up. “I appreciate the concern but only immediate family right now.”

Shawn rushed to the doctor. “I’m family. Shawn Spencer.”

The doctor looked at his clipboard. “Yes, I see you are listed as Mr. Lassiter’s emergency contact.”

“Detective Lassiter,” Shawn corrected. Carlton hated when people didn’t address him correctly.

The doctor glanced around the waiting room. “I see. Let’s speak somewhere more private about his condition.”

A chill ran through Shawn. Private, with the look on the doctor’s face, could only mean bad news. “Is he alive?” Shawn’s father came over and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“We got him stable for now,” the doctor said. “But his situation is critical.”

Shawn took a shuddering breath and nodded. “Lead the way.”


	3. Awake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I planned on posting this chapter last weekend but was busy cleaning and packing (I'm moving soon). Then work has been crazy and exhausting all week and I was almost in a car accident earlier today. So yeah, my life has been insane. But it's finally up. I hope you all enjoy it.

Carlton was floating through darkness.

There was no light and no sound. There was the barest sense of his body; just enough for him to know that it was still there. Wherever he was was calm and peaceful and all he wanted was to let go and relax. However, he had a nagging sense he shouldn't, that he needed to hold on. So he just floated, waiting for something to happen.

Sometimes, he felt himself grow heavier, and he had the sense someone else was there. Someone that made him feel safe. Sometimes there were two people and one of them would ask him something. He tried to respond but he couldn't tell if he did or not. Eventually he would start floating again and he would be left alone.

This went on for awhile; how long he didn't know. He knew time was passing but had no way to judge it in this place.

He could feel himself growing heavier again. This time, sensations started coming back. He felt, not pain, but a strange kind of discomfort, as if the pain should be there but was being held off for the time being. The heavier he got, the more that discomfort grew. It was making him uneasy and he took a deep breath to calm himself.

At least, he tried to. Something was in his throat, blocking his airway. He tried to move his arm so he could remove whatever it was, but he couldn't. He couldn't move at all. He started to panic, his breaths stuttering as he tried to breath around the obstruction. Something about it seemed familiar, but he was too scared to recognize it.

_Something was wrong._

He struggled to open his eyes. If he could see where he was, maybe he could figure out what had happened, why he couldn't breath or move. But his eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. He concentrated hard, struggling to lift those tiny pieces of skin. They twitched slightly, but refused to move. Part of him wanted to give up, but the stronger, stubborn part wouldn't let two little flaps of skin defeat him. He didn't know what was going on, but he'd be damned if he submitted to it. Digging deep, he put all the energy he had into opening his eyes.

They finally cracked open and his eyes immediately struck by blinding light. He groaned in pain as he let them close again, his voice sounding strange to his ears. He still couldn't breath right and he was getting more frightened. He needed to see where he was. It was easier the second time he opened his eyes, this time only the barest slit. He tried impatiently to force them to adjust to the light.

Slowly, incredibly slowly it seemed, the light faded and he could make out blurry shapes in the room. After another few endless moments the shapes resolved themselves. He was laying on his back, looking up at a white ceiling. Around his bed were odd, beeping things he recognized as medical equipment.

_I'm in a hospital._

He could just see the end of a tube sticking out from the end of his mouth. That explained why he couldn't breath; he had been intubated. He forced himself to relax, letting the air flow into him through the tube and not fighting the foreign feeling of it in his throat. The question now was what happened.

He tried to move  but immediately stopped when blinding pain shot down his left side. He groaned loudly, biting down on the tube in his mouth. He froze when he heard an answering groan to his right. He carefully tried to move his right hand but  found it was being held tightly by something. Looking as far down and to his right as he could, he just made out a head of tousled brown hair.

_Shawn._

He watched as his boyfriend slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes with one hand. The other he could still feel wrapped around his own.  He wiggled his fingers the best he could, trying to get Shawn's attention.

As soon as he felt the movement, Shawn gaze snapped to his face. “Carlton?” His eyes were red-rimmed as if he had been crying and his clothing and hair were messy and disheveled; far from his usual standards.. He looked like he had been sitting there a long time.

Shawn reached up slowly and laid a hand against his cheek. “Thank God you're finally awake.”

_Finally? How long was I out?_ He couldn't ask since he still had the tube in his mouth, so he tried to ask Shawn with his eyes.

Shawn glanced away, than back down at him. “I need to let the doctor know you're awake. I promise I'll be right back.” He leaned down and kissed him gently on the forehead. “Don't you _ever_ scare me like that again,” he said quietly.  He gave Carlton's hand a squeeze before getting up and moving out of sight.

He concentrated on the ventilator forcing air in and out of his lungs, trying not to fight it, while he waited for Shawn to return. His mind was still fuzzy. He knew he was in the hospital but had no idea why. He must have been badly hurt, judging by the machine helping him to breath and the pain when he tried to move. Shawn had implied he had been asleep for awhile as well. He could feel the darkness trying to pull him back in. He tried to resist it but felt himself floating away.

The next time he awoke, his eyes opened easily. Shawn was sitting next to the bed playing on this phone. His boyfriend noticed Carlton was awake after a few seconds.

“Lassie!” Shawn threw his phone on the bed as he stood up to lean over him. “You’re back. Okay, stay awake this time, all right? Blink twice if you understand.”

Carlton blinked twice and Shawn smiled. “Two minutes.” He patted Carlton’s shoulder and hurried from the room.

All he could see from his position lying on the bed was the ceiling. It was plain white tiles. He could feel his mind starting to wander, drifting back towards the darkness but he resisted. He wasn't going to sleep again until he knew what was going on. He forced himself to keep his eyes open and counted the tiles above him.

He heard Shawn and someone else return after the third time he had counted all the tiles he could see. “Carlton?” Shawn leaned over him, an unfamiliar man behind him. “Good you’re still awake.”

“Mr. Spencer, I do need to examine my patient,” the doctor said dryly.

A look of irritation crossed Shawn's face. He took a deep breath before stepping back, mockingly waving the doctor forward.

Carlton switched his focus to the doctor as he leaned over him. “Mr. Lassiter, I'm Doctor Wylak.”

“That's _Detective_ Lassiter,” Shawn corrected.

Wylak looked over at his boyfriend, raising an eyebrow. Shawn flushed, stepping back until he was out of view. “Sorry,” he heard Shawn mutter.

Wylak turned back to Carlton. “Now, detective, I need to check your vitals.” He pulled a penlight from his pocket and shined it in Carlton's eyes. He winced and tried not to look away. “Sorry, but I needed to check your pupils.” He put the light away and held up a finger in front of Carlton's face. “Now I need you to follow my finger with your eyes.” He slowly moved his hand and Carlton kept his eyes on it easily. “Good.”

Next Wylak put on his stethoscope and listened to Carlton's hearts and lungs. He spent longer listening to the left side of his chest, nodding to himself as he pulled the stethoscope off. “Your heart and lungs sound good.”

“Can you remove the tube then?” Shawn had moved closer, hovering just out of the doctor's way. He looked down at Carlton, touching his shoulder lightly. “I really think he wants it out.”

Carlton nodded as Wylak studied him. “We were already considering removing the vent before you woke up and your lung seems to have recovered enough from the trauma that I'm not too worried about a relapse. It should be safe.” Wylak motioned Shawn to step back. “I'm going to raise the top of the bed before I remove the tube. It will make it easier.”

Carlton winced as the movement of the bed jostled his injuries. Sitting up, he was finally able to get a glimpse of the rest of his body. He was covered with a sheet, but he could make out the outline of a cast covering his entire left leg. His left arm was also in a cast and he could see bandages littering the visible portions of his body.

“All right, detective, ready to get that tube out?” the doctor asked, reclaiming his attention. Carlton nodded. “I'm going to need you to take three deep breaths. On the third one, you need to breath out as hard as you can, understand?” Carlton nodded again. “Good.”

Wylak removed the ventilator hose and grabbed the end of the tube in his throat. “Okay, detective, here we go. In. . . and out. In. . . and out. In. . . and blow!”

Carlton b lew out hard as the doctor pulled on the tube. He  started coughing as soon as the tube left his throat, sending spikes of pain along his left side .  He tried to stop, keeping his breaths as shallow as possible to avoid the pain.

Wylak grabbed an oxygen mask and quickly attached it to something on the wall. He placed it over Carlton's face as he struggled to breath. “Nice and easy, Carlton. Slow, deep breaths.” He nodded as Carlton tried to match the pace of the doctor's breathing. “That's it,” he nodded in approval.

Shawn was squeezing his hand tightly, looking extremely worried. Carlton met his eyes and forced his breathing to slow more. He didn't want Shawn to be upset. His boyfriend relaxed as his breathing returned to normal.

The doctor removed the mask and set it aside. “How are you feeling?”

Carlton tried to answer, but all that came out was a croak.  His mouth felt incredibly dry, like he had a mouth full of sand.

“We'll get you some ice chips,” the doctor said.

“I have some right here,” Shawn said. Wylak gave him a look as Shawn picked a cup off the table. “I knew he would want the tube out as soon as possible,” Shawn said defensively. He carefully started spooning the welcome bits of ice into Carlton's mouth. The cold liquid soothed the parched tissues and the detective let it dribble slowly down his scratchy throat.

Once Carlton's mouth felt more normal, he smiled at Shawn. “Thanks,” he said, his voice still very raspy.

Shawn smiled back. “No problem.” His boyfriend put the cup on the table and reclaimed his hand.

“I need to ask you some questions now,” Wylak said, regaining his attention. “What is your name?”

“Carlton Lassiter.”

“Where are you?”

“In a hospital.”

“Do you know what year it is?”

“2008.”

“Who is president?”

“George W. Bush.”

Wylak pointed to Shawn. “Do you know who this is?”

Carlton nodded. “Shawn Spencer, my boyfriend.”

Wylak hummed and wrote something on his clipboard.

Carlton glanced at Shawn, who shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

While he was glad he had gotten the questions right, the fact he was being asked them in the first place bothered him. All cops received mandatory EMT training and he knew these questions were asked of someone suspected of a head injury. “What happened?” he asked quietly.

Shawn's smile flickered and he looked quickly at the doctor. Carlton turned his head to look at him as well.

Wylak watched him carefully.  “ What do you remember ?”

Carlton concentrated on the last thing he remembered. “We  had left the station .”  At Shawn's encouraging nod, he continued. “It was getting late; I was worried because I had to be somewhere.” He looked over at Shawn. “Somewhere with you.”

“Dinner with my parents,” Shawn said.

Carlton nodded slowly. “You wanted me to meet your mom.”

“What happened next?” the doctor prompted.

He concentrated harder. “There was another car,”  he said slowly. “It-I think it swerved towards us. ”  There had been a scream, the n  the sickening crunch of the impact  immediately followed by blinding pain. After that , nothing but blackness. 

“A kid ran out into the road,” Shawn said softly. “The woman in the other car was trying not to hit him. She hit the front driver’s side of your car.”

“I don't really remember, not all of it,” Carlton said worriedly.

“That is perfectly normal in these types of situations,” the doctor said reassuringly. “Its very good that you remembered what you did at all.”

He was going to ask what the doctor meant by that, when he had a sudden realization. _I wasn't alon_ _e_ _in that car._ He quickly  turned towards Shawn, crying out as the movement send sharp pains down the entire left side of his body. His boyfriend jumped forward, gently pushing him back down into the bed. “Please, Carlton, just stay still. You'll hurt yourself.”

“Juliet,” he mentioned to get out through gritted teeth. He lay back against the pillow, trying to breath as shallowly as possible. “Is she ok?”

Shawn nodded. “Jules is fine. Well, better than you anyway. She's a little banged up and broke her leg, but otherwise she is doing well.”

Carlton let out a slow breath, letting himself relax. O'Hara was OK; from what Shawn had said his side of the car had suffered the brunt of the impact. She was lucky she wasn't driving.

He looked up at Shawn, seeing the worry still in his boyfriend's eyes.  He glanced at the doctor. “How bad?”  He had seen the bandages and knew his arm and leg were both in a cast. The pain when he tried to move suggested broken ribs as well.

Shawn glanced at the doctor, then looked back at him. “Pretty bad, Lassie,” he said quietly.

“Give it to me straight, doc. I can handle it.” When Carlton saw Wylak hesitant, he pressed on. “Please, I need to know.”

The doctor sighed. “Your fiance is correct. You sustained massive injuries in that accident. You broke both the femur and tibia in your left leg and fractured your left radius in your arm. Both your lower leg and arm needed pins put in to hold the bones in place. You suffered three broken ribs, again on your left side. One punctured your lung while another caused a small tear in a nearby artery. The lung collapsed and that necessitated putting in a chest tube.”

He couldn't even feel it; not with all his other injuries chiming in so loudly. It was a lot to take in but the look on his boyfriend's and the doctor's faces told him there was more. “And the rest?”

Shawn gripped his hand tightly as the doctor continued. “A piece of metal from the car impaled you. It went right through your liver; you were in surgery several hours to repair the damage and lost a lot of blood. You also hit your head on impact, causing a moderate concussion. The combination put you in a coma.”

“How long?” Carlton asked faintly.

“Nine days, eleven hours, and fifty-seven minutes.” Both Carlton and the doctor looked at Shawn, who shrugged. “Give or take a few minutes. You woke up for a couple of minutes 7 hours and 12 minutes ago.”

Carlton nodded slowly.  Nearly  ten days asleep. That was a long time. No wonder Shawn looked so horrible; he had probably been sitting next to him the entire time,  waiting for him to wake up.  He took a deep breath as he tried to let it all sink in. The accident had smashed up most of the left side of his body. It would be months before he could move normally again, if he ever could.  H e was lucky to be alive.

The doctor was watching him carefully as he struggled to  wrap his mind around what happened .  Shawn was watching him as well, a worried look on his face. “Carlton, are you ok ay ?” his boyfriend asked, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

“Yeah, it's just a lot to take in,” Carlton said.

Wylak nodded sadly. “You're in for a tough road, detective. But if you're half as stubborn as your fiance here, I don't doubt you'll make it through.”

“Trust me, doc, he'll be fine.” Shawn's gaze was full of determination as he looked at Carlton. “I'll make sure of it,” he said softly.

Looking into the loving eyes of his boyfriend, Carlton could almost believe him. He smiled at Shawn before falling victim to a deep yawn.

“I know you're tired, but I need you to stay awake a little bit longer while I do a couple of tests. Can you do that?” Wylak asked. When Carlton nodded, he moved down to the end of the bed. He lifted the sheet, exposing the cast on the detective's leg and the bare toes sticking out. “We couldn't check nerve and motor functions fully while you were asleep. This will give us a better idea of the extent of your injuries,” he explained.

What followed was a painful series of pokes and prods along with agonizing attempts to move the end of his foot. Wylak then moved on to his arm, putting it through the same treatment. The doctor examined the incision point on his abdomen, pushing at it gently to check for any fluid or swelling. To complete the torture, Wylak felt gently along his broken ribs, sending sharp flares of pain through his chest with every touch.

By the end, Carlton had broken out into a sweat and had Shawn's hand in a death grip. When Wylak finished, he slumped back against the pillows, trying not to breath too hard.

Shawn removed his hand from Carlton's grasp, flexing it to return feeling to it. He didn't complain, though Carlton could see the red marks from grasping it so tightly. “How does it look?” Shawn asked.

“Gross motor functions in his leg seem to be intact and he does have some sensation. Motor function in his hand is present as well though there is some numbness. We’ll have to reassess as the swelling goes does and the nerves heal but it’s hopeful.

Carlton blinked; he hadn't considered nerve damage. Would he be able to walk? To use his arm?

“The incision sites look good and clear of infection,” Wylak continued. “I’d like to leave the chest tube in another couple of days but the lung sounds good. Overall, I think you are very lucky.”

Carlton tried to absorb it all, but pain and exhaustion were erasing his ability to think. Wylak looked happy, so he just accepted everything was good for now. “Could I get something for the pain?” he asked.

Shawn looked at him worriedly, but the doctor just nodded. “I'll prescribe something and have the nurse bring it in. Carlton, I want you to get some rest.” Wylak turned to look at Shawn. “Mr. Spencer, I want you to go home and get some rest as well.”

“I'm fine,” Shawn said stubbornly.

“You've barely left the hospital in ten days,” Wylak said, confirming Carlton's earlier suspicions. “I don't want to have another patient on my hands.”

“I'm not leaving. You can throw me out again, but I'll just sneak back in.” Shawn smirked. “You know you can't keep me away from him.”

Wylak gave Shawn a long look. “If I bring a cot in, will you promise to use it this time?” Shawn nodded. “I'll have someone bring one in.” He glanced over at Carlton. “Is that alright with you?”

“Yeah, it's fine.” He knew Shawn needed his rest, but a selfish part of him was glad he wasn't being left alone.

“If I hear you're keeping my patient from resting, I'll have you arrested, fiance or not,” Wylak warned Shawn. After his boyfriend nodded meekly, he turned to Carlton. “I'll send the nurse in with your pain medication.”

“Fiance? Am I forgetting something?” Carlton asked after the doctor left. He hadn’t been sure he heard Wylak right the first time but the doctor clearly believed Shawn was his fiance. Maybe his memory had been affected.

Shawn cleared his throat, looking embarrassed. “As your boyfriend, they would only let me stay during visiting hours. After the third time they caught me sneaking back in, I told them I was your fiance so they would let me stay.” He became very fascinated with something on the blanket. “Your mom even agreed to me being your medical proxy.”

“My mother knows?” Carlton asked. His throat closed at the thought of his mother believing he was engaged. He hadn’t even told her he was dating anyone. He heard a frantic beeping from one of the machines next to the bed.

“Carlton, relax,” Shawn said hurriedly. “I told her we didn’t want to announce it yet. The only other person who knows is my parents, Gus and Juliet and they know I only did it to be able to stay with you.” He paused. “At least I think they do.”

Carlton tried to take deep breaths and will his heart rate slower. As the beeping gradually slowed, he noticed the ring on Shawn’s left hand. The beeping sped up again.

Shawn followed his gaze and quickly hid his hand. “I’ll take it off.”

“Don’t.”

Shawn looked at him in confusion. “Don’t take it off?”

Carlton held out his right hand and Shawn placed his left into it. Carlton looked at the ring. It looked cheap but it also looked good siting there. “Leave it.”

Shawn stared at his hand. “People might really think we’re engaged then.”

Carlton closed his hand around Shawn’s. “Let them. But I expect a real proposal and a decent ring when I get out of here.”

Shawn stared at him in shock. “For real? You really want to marry me?”

“I – ” Carlton hesitated. They hadn’t been dating long but they had already known each other for a couple of years. It felt right, being together. Carlton had already thought about one day getting married. Maybe Shawn didn’t see them getting that serious, despite telling his friends and family they were engaged. “Forget it,” Carlton said softly, closing his eyes.

“Lassie?” Shawn asked hesitantly.

Carlton sighed. “It’s too soon. I just – I could have died and I don’t – ” The rest of what he was trying to say was cut off by Shawn kissing him. It was light and chaste compared to how they normally kissed but he felt tears prick his eyes at the emotions he could feel from Shawn.

Carlton opened his eyes as Shawn pulled back. “You will have the best ring and the most kick ass proposal as soon as you get better,” Shawn promised, smiling broadly.

An orderly came in then, pushing a roll-away cot, followed by a nurse. She moved to Carlton's bedside and smiled at him. “This should start to work quickly,” she said, injecting something into his IV. “It will also make you tired, so you'll probably fall asleep again soon.” She patted Shawn's arm as she stepped back. “You get some rest too Shawn.”

“I will, Nancy,” Shawn said.

Carlton watched the orderly set up the bed, feeling the meds starting to kick in. The pain was quickly fading and he blinked suddenly heavy eyelids, the world going fuzzy for a moment.

Nancy waited until Shawn climbed into the bed before she would leave the room. As soon as she left, Shawn got up. Grabbing one edge of the cot, he dragged it until it was sitting next to Carlton's bed. “Much better,” he said, climbing back into it.

“You'll be in the way when they need to check on me,” Carlton said sleepily.

“Don't care.” Shawn reached out and took Carlton's hand. “I want to be next to you.”

Carlton smiled at Shawn as his fiance got comfortable in the bed. The younger man was asleep within seconds. Relaxed in sleep, Carlton was able to see the dark circles under his eyes and the thin look to his face Shawn had tried to hide before. His fiance had pushed himself to exhaustion staying with him all that time. He'd have to talk to the others, make sure Shawn got the rest he needed. Later though; he could feel his own exhaustion pulling him under again.

Carlton closed his eyes, Shawn's hand warm and soothing in his grip. He let the darkness pull him back under, comforted by the knowledge his fiance will be there when he woke up.

Shawn would always be there.


End file.
